Erin Murphy is a third year PhD student in ASU's Biology and Society Program, advised by Dr. Leah Gerber and Dr. Beth Polidoro. For her dissertation, she researches the impacts of plastic pollution on marine ecosystems, and evaluates the efficacy, cost, and trade-offs of different intervention strategies to identify the best policy solutions. Currently, she is working in the Philippines and Hawaii.

Erin completed her Masters at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, studying the effects of poorly-treated human sewage pollution on coral physiology and disease susceptibility. After completing her Masters, she worked as an ORISE research fellow in the EPA's Ocean and Coastal Management Branch, in Washington D.C. In this role, she researched the impacts of land-based pollution on coral reef ecosystems, participated in the US Coral Reef Task Force and supported Florida's efforts to develop new turbidity standards. Additionally, she analyzed the efficacy of existing federal policy on vessel sewage pollution to inform recommendations for regulatory reform and developed educational resources for recreational boaters.​

After completing her PhD, Erin hopes to work at the nexus of research and policy at a non-governmental organization, federal agency, or intergovernmental organization.